Sani Isla is a traditional indigenous Kichwa community deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon who runs Sani Lodge, a 100% community owned ecolodge. The destination is surrounded by the most bio-diverse region in the world. The Kichwa community is strongly committed to protect their surroundings, including their cultural and natural heritage. Income derived from the ecolodge is used for the benefit of the community, including the fight against oil companies. Second, the destination’s has a low impact on its surroundings and reinvestment of profits all flow back into the community to support education, healthcare and other sustainable practices. In whole, the destination’s vision is for Sani Isla to run an authentic leading ecolodge in Ecuador whilst practicing sustainable and being a tourist destination of excellence with international recognition.

This destination participated in the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards at ITB Berlin by submitting a sustainable tourism story. Keywords: local self management, nature conservation